There is still some work left to do at the State Capitol

This week at the Capitol marked the 15th week and the 100th day of the 2022 legislative session.

While the 100th day usually marks a target for the scheduled end of session, we will be back again in the coming weeks to finish our work for the year.

Until we adjourn, the Senate will continue fighting for important priorities for Iowans, such as reforming unemployment, education, and workforce policy.

The reason we continue our work past our scheduled end date is because Senate Republicans are taking the time to ensure Iowans’ money is being spent in smart ways by building a fiscally responsible budget and continuing to implement conservative spending practices.

The Senate was the only chamber working this week and it resumed debate on a number of bills.

One of these bills was HF 2123, which the Senate passed unanimously on Tuesday afternoon. HF 2123 allows law enforcement to share driver’s license photos when a person is missing, or a person is a suspect in a missing person’s case.

In missing persons cases, minutes matter. This bill is common-sense legislation that eliminates government restrictions to let law enforcement more effectively do their jobs. I am proud to have managed this legislation through the subcommittee, committee, and floor debate.

On Tuesday the Senate passed SF 2380, a bill to designate February 1 of each year as George Washington Carver Day in Iowa.

George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist, inventor, and the first African American to earn a Bachelor of Science degree.

Washington Carver invented and created many new agricultural innovations, one of the most important being the idea of crop rotation, which is still used in Iowa fields to this day. He was also recognized with the Iowa Award, the state’s highest citizen award, in 2002.

Thanks to his perseverance and innovative spirit, he dramatically improved the lives of people across the globe, helping lower food costs for the entire world.

Protections for Mobile Home Owners

The Iowa Senate passed legislation this week to support tenants in manufactured housing communities. This bill will increase transparency and protections for residents in these communities, while clarifying and standardizing state laws for community owners.

Since 2019, some have argued for the need to increase legal protections for people living in manufactured housing communities.

In recognition of these calls for reform, HF 2562 expands the notice requirement period for rent increases, expands notice requirements for nonrenewal of lease, requires community owners to provide written notice to individuals denied an initial lease, requires written documentation for all home sales, and prohibits community owners from requiring home owners to modify their homes in a way that makes them unable to move.

Additionally, it makes clear that when parks are sold, the new community owners continue to operate under the same legal requirements and obligations as the previous community owners. The bill also clarifies and standardizes provisions of state law related to the definition of rent, zoning issues, and procedure for abandoned homes.

HF 2562 strikes a balance between homeowners and community owners, who own the land under most manufactured homes. Iowa needs affordable housing in all parts of the state and these changes will help ensure that manufactured housing stays part of the affordable housing landscape in Iowa.